*Please note this form cannot be used if you are complaining ‘on behalf of someone’. On such occasions, you should contact us in writing, ensuring that a fully completed mandate form is enclosed. (See ‘Getting help to make your complaint’ below). You can print off a mandate form by clicking here.

Our Complaints Handling Procedure

What happens when I have complained?
We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint.

Our complaints procedure has two stages:

Stage one – frontline resolution
We aim to resolve complaints quickly and close to where we provided the service. This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong and immediate action to resolve the problem.
We will give you our decision at stage one, in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If we can’t resolve your complaint at this stage, we will explain why and tell you what you can do next. We might suggest that you take your complaint to stage two. You may choose to do this immediately or sometime after you get our initial decision.

Stage two – investigation
Stage two deals with two types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at Stage one and those that are complex and require a detailed investigation.
When using stage two we will:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days.

Discuss your complaint with you to understand why you remain dissatisfied and what outcome you are looking for.

Give you a full response to the complaint as soon as possible and within 20 working days.

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.

What if I’m still dissatisfied?
After we have fully investigated, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it.
The SPSO cannot normally look at:

A complaint that has not completed our complaints procedure (so please make sure it has done so before contacting the SPSO)

Events that happened, or that you became aware of, more than a year ago

Care complaints
If your complaint relates to a care service we provide, you can choose whether to complain to us or the Care Inspectorate or both. You can choose to complain directly to the Care Inspectorate at any time, although discussion with us is often the best way of resolving a complaint quickly. If you wish to contact the Care Inspectorate you can do so by contacting:
The Care Inspectorate
Central West Region
4th Floor
No. 1 Smithhills Street
Paisley
PA1 1EBPhone: 0845 600 9527Fax: 01382 207 289Email: enquiries@careinspectorate.com
Getting help to make your complaint
We understand that you may be unable, or reluctant, to make a complaint yourself. We accept complaints from the representative of a person who is dissatisfied with our service. We can take complaints from a friend, relative, or an advocate, if you have given them your consent to complain for you.

If you appoint someone to deal with your complaint on your behalf you must complete a mandate form which should be submitted with details of your complaint. You can print off a mandate form by clicking on the link on the left hand side of this page.

You can find out about advocates in your area by contacting the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance.Phone: 0131 260 5380Fax: 0131 260 5381Website: www.siaa.org.ukMobile Site: http://m.spso.org.uk

We are committed to making our service easy to use for all members of the community. In line with our statutory equalities duties, we will always ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to help customers access and use our services. If you have trouble putting your complaint in writing, or want this information in another format, such as large font, or Braille, please tell us in person, contact us on 0141 353 9130, or fax us at 0141 353 9100